The high youth unemployment levels in the country has manifested and left thousands of youths desperate for white collar jobs and hunting from street to street in order to get jobs and start the journey of being economically active.
The education system reforms that have been talked about were life skills and entrepreneurship are supposed to be a big part of the curriculum are are yet to start producing graduates that are capable of venturing to create jobs rather than look for employment opportunities.
Moreover, the country is also lagging behind in implementing local content policies accross various industries that would ensure that opportunities for locals are safeguarded.
Even the government which perhaps has the largest procurement budget at the Zambia public procurement authority – ZPPA is yet to fully embed the preferential purchasing from local and citizen owned or influenced companies which should ideally be the source of jobs and local entrepreneurship.
This has also led to private companies that included the large copper mines on the Copperbelt also having procurement policies that are skewed towards engagement of foreign suppliers at the expense of locals.
The above has left a scenario we’re local entrepreneurship and venturing into private business a risky venture. Graduates from various colleges therefore look at the above risks and this results in white collar jobs and being formally employed as the most viable option.
A check by the Zambian Business Times – ZBT this morning found thousands of youth flocking to the Mulungushi International Conference Center to participate in writing the aptitudes tests being conducted by Zamtel for internship opportunities.
The mobile network provider had two weeks ago announced that it seeks to engage college and University graduates for internship opportunities meant to help students that graduated between 2016 and 2018 get an opportunity to gain work experience.
Zamtel announced that it will conduct interviews in different locations within the country that includes Lusaka, Chipata, kabwe, Mpika, Kasama, Mansa, Ndola Kitwe, Solwezi, Choma, Livingstone and Mongu which saw the interview kick off in Lusaka.
The kick off saw thousands of youths in Lusaka queuing up awaiting to be given an opportunity to write the aptitude tests which will determine those that will qualify for this opportunity. The number required was not specified.
However, a female participant whose identity has been withheld said it is saddening to see observe the low rate at which government is enabling the creation of employment opportunities. She said it is sad to realize to see the number of unemployed youths who have come to seek an internship opportunity with the network provide.
She sighted that the instance were only 2,009 qualified teachers who have been selected for the teachers recruitment exercise this year out of over 27 000 applicants is a clear indication that the country is going through an unemployment crisis that needs immediate interventions.
Zambia’s population has continued to grow with the year end 2019 total population estimated at about 17 million citizens. According to the results released for grade 12 school leavers in the year 2017, the country had over 125,000 students completing school and thereby needing employment opportunities within the next two to five years.
